Authorized remote control

ABSTRACT

Some embodiments provide a vehicle navigation system which can navigate a vehicle through an environment based on driving commands received from a remote control system based on manual operator interaction with an interface of the remote control system. Remote driving control can be engaged based on determination, via processing vehicle sensor data, of a health emergency associated with one or more occupants of the vehicle, and the remote control system can generate remote driving commands which cause the vehicle to be navigated to a particular location without requiring the occupant associated with the health emergency to manually navigate the vehicle. The remote control system can monitor the occupant via communicated vehicle sensor data and can control remote control devices included in the vehicle to provide external indication that the vehicle is being navigated according to remote driving control.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/416,076, filed May 17, 2019, which is a divisional of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/275,147, filed Sep. 23, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No.10,328,897, which claims benefit of priority of U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/232,781, filed Sep. 25, 2015, which are herebyincorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

This disclosure relates generally to navigation of a vehicle, and inparticular to remotely-controlled driving control of the vehicle via aremote-control system communicatively coupled to a navigation system ofthe vehicle via a communication network.

Description of the Related Art

The rise of interest in autonomous navigation of vehicles, includingautomobiles, has resulted in a desire to develop autonomous navigationsystems which can autonomously navigate (i.e., autonomously “drive”) avehicle through various routes, including one or more roads in a roadnetwork, such as contemporary roads, streets, highways, etc. Suchautonomous navigation systems can control one or more automotive controlelements of the vehicle to implement such autonomous navigation. Suchcontrol by the autonomous navigation system in a vehicle can be referredto as autonomous driving control of the vehicle.

Vehicles which include autonomous navigation systems may enable one ormore occupants to manually control one or more vehicle control elementsof the vehicle, such that one or more occupants of the vehicle canmanually navigate (“drive”) the vehicle. Such control by an occupant canbe referred to as manual driving control of the vehicle.

SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS

Some embodiments provide a vehicle navigation system which can navigatea vehicle through an environment based on driving commands received froma remote control system based on manual operator interaction with aninterface of the remote control system. Remote driving control can beengaged based on determination, via processing vehicle sensor data, of ahealth emergency associated with one or more occupants of the vehicle,and the remote control system can generate remote driving commands whichcause the vehicle to be navigated to a particular location withoutrequiring the occupant associated with the health emergency to manuallynavigate the vehicle. The remote control system can monitor the occupantvia communicated vehicle sensor data and can control remote controldevices included in the vehicle to provide external indication that thevehicle is being navigated according to remote driving control.

Some embodiments provide an apparatus which includes a vehiclenavigation system configured to be installed in a vehicle and navigatethe vehicle through an environment in which the vehicle is located basedon remote driving commands received from a remote control system. Thevehicle navigation system is configured to: generate a remote controlrequest signal, to the remote control system, based at least in partupon a determination that an occupant of an interior of the vehicle isassociated with an emergency health state.

Some embodiments provide an apparatus which includes a remote controlsystem, remotely located from a vehicle, which is configured toselectively engage in remote driving control of the vehicle. The remotecontrol system is configured to generate a set of remote drivingcommands which, when executed at a vehicle navigation system of thevehicle, cause the vehicle to be navigated through an environment, basedat least in part upon a determination that remote driving control of thevehicle is authorized by one or more of the vehicle or an authorized enduser supported by a separate user device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a vehicle 100 whichcomprises a vehicle navigation system (VNS), according to someembodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram schematic of a vehicle and remotecontrol system which are communicatively coupled via a communicationnetwork, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3A-D illustrates interactions between the remote control system, avehicle, and a user device associated with selectively engaging remotedriving control of the vehicle at the remote control system, accordingto some embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates an overhead view of a stopped vehicle which includesan impaired occupant being autonomously navigated from a startingposition to a selected driving destination location, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates an overhead view of a vehicle in motion which stopsat a particular roadside location to pick up an individual at theroadside and then navigate the vehicle to a destination location viaremote driving control, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates a control interface of a remote control system,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates executing remote driving control at a vehiclenavigation system (VNS) included in a vehicle, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates executing remote driving control of a VNS included ina vehicle at a remote control system which is external to the vehicle,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example computer system configured to implementaspects of a system and method for autonomous navigation, according tosome embodiments.

This specification includes references to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment.” The appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “inan embodiment” do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.Particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined inany suitable manner consistent with this disclosure.

“Comprising.” This term is open-ended. As used in the appended claims,this term does not foreclose additional structure or steps. Consider aclaim that recites: “An apparatus comprising one or more processor units. . . .” Such a claim does not foreclose the apparatus from includingadditional components (e.g., a network interface unit, graphicscircuitry, etc.).

“Configured To.” Various units, circuits, or other components may bedescribed or claimed as “configured to” perform a task or tasks. In suchcontexts, “configured to” is used to connote structure by indicatingthat the units/circuits/components include structure (e.g., circuitry)that performs those task or tasks during operation. As such, theunit/circuit/component can be said to be configured to perform the taskeven when the specified unit/circuit/component is not currentlyoperational (e.g., is not on). The units/circuits/components used withthe “configured to” language include hardware—for example, circuits,memory storing program instructions executable to implement theoperation, etc. Reciting that a unit/circuit/component is “configuredto” perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke 35U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph, for that unit/circuit/component.Additionally, “configured to” can include generic structure (e.g.,generic circuitry) that is manipulated by software and/or firmware(e.g., an FPGA or a general-purpose processor executing software) tooperate in manner that is capable of performing the task(s) at issue.“Configure to” may also include adapting a manufacturing process (e.g.,a semiconductor fabrication facility) to fabricate devices (e.g.,integrated circuits) that are adapted to implement or perform one ormore tasks.

“First,” “Second,” etc. As used herein, these terms are used as labelsfor nouns that they precede, and do not imply any type of ordering(e.g., spatial, temporal, logical, etc.). For example, a buffer circuitmay be described herein as performing write operations for “first” and“second” values. The terms “first” and “second” do not necessarily implythat the first value must be written before the second value.

“Based On.” As used herein, this term is used to describe one or morefactors that affect a determination. This term does not forecloseadditional factors that may affect a determination. That is, adetermination may be solely based on those factors or based, at least inpart, on those factors. Consider the phrase “determine A based on B.”While in this case, B is a factor that affects the determination of A,such a phrase does not foreclose the determination of A from also beingbased on C. In other instances, A may be determined based solely on B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of whichare illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following detaileddescription, numerous specific details are set forth in order to providea thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will beapparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that some embodiments maybe practiced without these specific details. In other instances,well-known methods, procedures, components, circuits, and networks havenot been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspectsof the embodiments.

It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc.may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements shouldnot be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguishone element from another. For example, a first contact could be termed asecond contact, and, similarly, a second contact could be termed a firstcontact, without departing from the intended scope. The first contactand the second contact are both contacts, but they are not the samecontact.

The terminology used in the description herein is for the purpose ofdescribing particular embodiments only and is not intended to belimiting. As used in the description and the appended claims, thesingular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the pluralforms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It willalso be understood that the term “and/or” as used herein refers to andencompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms“includes,” “including,” “comprises,” and/or “comprising,” when used inthis specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers,steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

As used herein, the term “if” may be construed to mean “when” or “upon”or “in response to determining” or “in response to detecting,” dependingon the context. Similarly, the phrase “if it is determined” or “if [astated condition or event] is detected” may be construed to mean “upondetermining” or “in response to determining” or “upon detecting [thestated condition or event]” or “in response to detecting [the statedcondition or event],” depending on the context.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a vehicle 100 whichcomprises a vehicle navigation system (VNS) which is configured tocontrol various control elements of the vehicle to navigate the vehiclethrough an environment, according to some embodiments. The VNS cancontrol various control elements based on driving control commandsgenerated at one or more user interfaces, navigation control modules,remote control systems, etc. The VNS, in some embodiments, includes anautonomous navigation system (ANS) which is configured to autonomouslygenerate autonomous driving control commands which control variouscontrol elements of the vehicle to autonomously navigate the vehiclealong one or more driving routes.

Vehicle 100 will be understood to encompass one or more vehicles of oneor more various configurations which can accommodate one or moreoccupants, including, without limitation, one or more automobiles,trucks, vans, etc. Vehicle 100 can include one or more interior cabins(“vehicle interiors”) configured to accommodate one or more humanoccupants (e.g., passengers, drivers, etc.), which are collectivelyreferred to herein as vehicle “occupants”. A vehicle interior caninclude one or more user interfaces 115, including one or more manualdriving control interfaces (e.g., steering device, throttle controldevice, brake control device), display interfaces, multimediainterfaces, climate control interfaces, some combination thereof, or thelike.

Vehicle 100 includes various vehicle control elements 112 which can becontrolled, via one or more of the interfaces 115 and the VNS 110, tonavigate (“drive”) the vehicle 100 through the world, including navigatethe vehicle 100 along one or more driving routes. In some embodiments,one or more control elements 112 are communicatively coupled to one ormore user interfaces 115 included in the vehicle 100 interior, such thatthe vehicle 100 is configured to enable an occupant to interact with oneor more user interfaces 115, including one or more manual drivingcontrol interfaces, to control at least some of the control elements 112and manually navigate the vehicle 100 via manual driving control of thevehicle via the manual driving control interfaces 115. For example,vehicle 100 can include, in the vehicle interior, a steering device,throttle device, and brake device which can be interacted with by anoccupant to control various control elements 112 to manually navigatethe vehicle 100.

Vehicle 100 includes a vehicle navigation system (VNS) 110 which isconfigured to generate control element commands which cause the vehicle100 to be navigated though an environment. In some embodiments, a VNS isimplemented by one or more computer systems. VNS 110 is communicativelycoupled to at least some of the control elements 112 of the vehicle 100and is configured to control one or more of the elements 112 to navigatethe vehicle 100. Control of the one or more elements 112 to autonomouslynavigate the vehicle 100 can include VNS 110 generating one or morecontrol element commands, also referred to herein interchangeably ascontrol element signals.

In some embodiments, VNS 110 generates control element signals whichcause one or more sets of control elements 112 to navigate the vehicle100 through the environment based on input received at VNS 110 via oneor more user interfaces 115. Such generation of control element signalscan also referred to as manual driving control of the vehicle 100 at theVNS 110.

In some embodiments, VNS 110 autonomously generates control elementsignals which cause one or more sets of control elements 112 to navigatethe vehicle 100 through the environment along a particular drivingroute. Such control can also referred to as autonomous driving controlof the vehicle 100 at the VNS 110. As used herein, autonomous navigationof the vehicle 100 refers to controlled navigation (“driving”) ofvehicle 100 along at least a portion of a route based upon autonomousdriving control, by VNS 110, of the control elements 112 of the vehicle100, including steering control elements, throttle control elements,braking control elements, transmission control elements, etc.independently of manual driving control input commands receiving from auser of the vehicle via user interaction with one or more userinterfaces 115.

Vehicle 100 includes one or more communication interfaces 116 which arecommunicatively coupled with VNS 110 and are configured tocommunicatively couple VNS 110 to one or more remotely located systems,services, devices, etc. via one or more communication networks. Forexample, an interface 116 can include one or more cellular communicationdevices, wireless communication transceivers, radio communicationinterfaces, etc. VNS 110 can be communicatively coupled, via aninterface 116, with one or more remote services via one or more wirelesscommunication networks, including a cloud service. VNS 110 cancommunicate messages to a remote service, system, etc., receive messagesfrom the one or more remote services, systems, etc., and the like viaone or more interfaces 116. In some embodiments, communicativelycoupling VNS 110 with a remote service, system, etc. via interface 116includes establishing a two-way communication link between the VNS 110and the remote service, system, etc. via a communication network towhich the interface 116 is communicatively coupled.

Vehicle 100 includes a set of one or more external sensor devices 113,also referred to as external sensors 113, which can monitor one or moreaspects of an external environment relative to the vehicle 100. Suchsensors can include camera devices, video recording devices, infraredsensor devices, radar devices, depth camera devices which can includeone or more light-scanning devices including LIDAR devices,precipitation sensor devices, ambient wind sensor devices, ambienttemperature sensor devices, position-monitoring devices which caninclude one or more global navigation satellite system devices (e.g.,GPS, BeiDou, DORIS, Galileo, GLONASS, etc.), some combination thereof,or the like. One or more of external sensor devices 113 can generatesensor data associated with an environment as the vehicle 100 navigatesthrough the environment. Sensor data generated by one or more sensordevices 113 can be communicated to VNS 110 as input data, where theinput data can be used by the VNS 100, when operating in autonomousdriving control mode, to generate driving control signals which, whenexecuted by control elements 112, cause the vehicle 100 to be navigatedalong a particular driving route through the environment. In someembodiments, VNS 110 communicates at least some sensor data generated byone or more sensors 113 to one or more remote systems, services, etc.via one or more interfaces 116.

Vehicle 100 includes a set of one or more internal sensors 114, alsoreferred to as sensor devices 114, which can monitor one or more aspectsof the vehicle 100 interior. Such sensors can include camera devices,including one or more visible light cameras, infrared cameras,near-infrared cameras, depth cameras which can include one or morelight-scanning devices including LIDAR devices, some combinationthereof, etc. configured to collect image data of one or more occupantsin the vehicle interior, control element sensors which monitor operatingstates of various driving control interfaces 115 of the vehicle,chemical sensors which monitor the atmosphere of the vehicle interiorfor the presence of one or more chemical substances, some combinationthereof, etc. One or more of internal sensor devices 114 can generatesensor data. Sensor data generated by one or more internal sensordevices 114 can be communicated to VNS 110, where the input data can beused by the VNS 110 to determine a health state of one or more occupantsof the vehicle 100 interior. In some embodiments, one or more sensors114 generate sensor data regarding one or more particular positionswithin the vehicle interior, and sensor data generated by the sensors114 can be used by the VNS to determine whether one or more occupantslocated in one or more particular positions in the vehicle interior isassociated with an emergency health state. The VNS 110 can continuouslymonitor the health state parameters associated with occupants of thevehicle interior. In some embodiments, VNS 110 is configured to monitorhealth state parameters of human individuals located external to thevehicle within a certain proximity distance of the vehicle, based onprocessing sensor data generated by one or more sensor devices 113.

The sensors 114 can generate data which can be processed by VNS 110 todetermine one or more parameters associated with the occupant's health,including occupant pupil dilation, blinking body temperature, heartbeat,perspiration, head position, etc. Such parameters can be referred to ashealth state parameters of the occupant. VNS 110 can process theparameters and determine a “health state” of the occupant, including a“drowsy state”, “intoxicated state”, cognitively impaired state”,“emergency health state”, etc., based on comparing one or more of thehealth state parameters against one or more health state parameterthreshold values associated with the one or more particular healthstates.

VNS 110 includes a set of modules which are configured to enable VNS 110to cause the vehicle 100 to be navigated through an environment based onremote driving control of the vehicle. Remote driving control can bebased on one or more remote driving command signals, also referred toherein as remote driving commands, received at VNS 110 from one or moreremote control systems via one or more interfaces 116.

VNS 110 includes an remote control request module 122 which determineswhether to generate a remote control request signal which, when receivedat a remotely located remote control system, is processed as a request,by VNS 110, for the remote control system to engage remote drivingcontrol of the VNS 110 via one or more interfaces 116.

Module 122 can monitor one or more aspects of the interior and exteriorof the vehicle, via sensor data generated by one or more sensors113-114, and can determine whether to generate a remote control requestsignal which is transmitted to a remote control system via an interface116 based on monitoring one or more health state parameters associatedwith one or more occupants of the vehicle interior, proximate externalindividuals, etc. For example, module 122 can monitor a health state ofan occupant of the vehicle interior, via sensor data generated by asensor 114, and can generate a remote control request message based on adetermination that the health state of the occupant corresponds to anemergency health state. The remote control request message can includeinformation specifying a basis upon which module 122 generates themessage, including a specification of a health state of an occupant ofthe vehicle. In some embodiments, the remote control request signalincludes an emergency remote control signal, generated based at least inpart upon the deterring that a health state of an occupant of thevehicle 100 corresponds with an emergency health state, which includes arequest for a remote control system to remotely control vehicle 100 sothat vehicle 100 is remotely navigated to a medical care location,including an emergency care center, hospital, etc. In some embodiments,the remote control request signal includes health state parameter dataassociated with a monitored vehicle occupant, proximate externalindividual, etc.

In some embodiments, module 122 generates a remote control requestsignal based on user-initiated commands received at VNS 110 from aninterface 115. For example, an interface 115 can include a remotecontrol element with which a user can interact to command module 122 togenerate a remote control request, to a remote control system via aninterface 116, to engage in remote control of the vehicle 100. In someembodiments, module 122 generates a remote control request signal basedon user-initiated commands received at VNS 110 from a user device whichis separate from vehicle 100. In some embodiments, module 122 generatesa remote control request based on determining that user informationincluded in the user-initiated commands received at VNS 110 from a userdevice identifies a user profile which is associated, at module 125,with a set 126 of authorized users.

VNS 110 can include a navigation control module 124 which is configuredto generate control element signals which are executed by one or morecontrol elements 112 to cause the vehicle 100 to be navigated. Module124 is configured to establish a driving control mode of the VNS 110 andgenerate control element signal based on the present driving controlmode of the VNS 110. The driving control mode can include one or more ofa manual driving control mode, autonomous driving control mode, and aremote driving control mode. In some embodiments, module 124 processesparticular inputs to VNS 110 based on the present driving control modeof VNS 110. For example, where VNS 110 is in a manual driving controlmode, module 124 can selectively generate control element signals basedon manual driving control commands received at VNS 110 via one or moreuser interfaces 115. In another example, where VNS 110 is in anautonomous driving control mode, module 124 can generate control signalsbased on processing sensor data generated by one or more sensors 113 anda driving route along which the vehicle 100 is to be navigated, wheremodule 124 can switch between autonomous driving control mode and manualdriving control mode based on signals received from one or moreinterfaces 115. The driving route can be generated at module 124 basedon input commands received from an interface 115, data received from oneor more interfaces 116, etc. In another example, where VNS 110 is in aremote driving control mode, module 124 can generate control signalsbased on remote control commands received from a remote control systemvia one or more interfaces 116. Where VNS 110 is in a remote drivingcontrol mode, module 124 can selectively ignore driving control commandsreceived at VNS 110 from one or more interfaces 115.

Module 124 can switch the VNS 110 to a remote driving control mode basedon one or more of generation of an remote control request signal atmodule 122, receipt of one or more remote driving commands from a remotecontrol system via an interface 116, generation of an authorizationsignal at module 125, receipt of an authorization confirmation signalfrom a remote control system via an interface 116, some combinationthereof, etc.

In some embodiments, module 124 selectively switches the VNS 110 betweenremote driving control mode and one or more other driving control modesbased on a remote control switching command received at VNS 110 from aremote control system via one or more interfaces 116. A remote controlswitch command can include authorization information which identifiesthe remote control system and includes password information which isprocessed by module 125 to determine that remote control driving mode isauthorized and confirmed at the remote control system.

VNS 110 includes an authorization module 125 which selectivelyauthorizes remote driving control of VNS 110 at a remote control system.Module 125 includes one or more of vehicle identity information 127which uniquely identifies the vehicle 100, user profile information 126which uniquely identifies particular user profiles associated with oneor more end users which are authorized to command remote driving controlof VNS 110, etc.

Users can benefit from use of personal data, which can include userprofile information 126 associated with a user profile. For example, thepersonal data can be used to ensure that remote control of a vehicle isauthorized by particular users. Accordingly, use of such personal dataenables users to influence and control whether remote driving control ofa vehicle is engaged. In some embodiments, the personal data can includehealth data associated with an occupant which can be, based onauthorization by the occupant, transmitted to one or more remotesystems, services, etc., including the remote control system, a remotemedical service, a remote medical facility, etc., and the personal datacan be used to determine a destination, including a particular medicalcenter, to which the vehicle is remotely navigated. As a result, thepersonal data can be used to enable an occupant in medical distress tobe navigated to an appropriate location where the occupant can receivecare tailored to the occupant's health state.

Users, which can include occupants, can selectively block use of, oraccess to, personal data. A system incorporating some or all of thetechnologies described herein can include hardware and/or software thatprevents or blocks access to such personal data. For example, the systemcan allow users to “opt in” or “opt out” of participation in thecollection of personal data or portions of portions thereof. Also, userscan select not to provide location information, or permit provision ofgeneral location information (e.g., a geographic region or zone), butnot precise location information.

Entities responsible for the collection, analysis, disclosure, transfer,storage, or other use of such personal data should comply withestablished privacy policies and/or practices. Such entities shouldsafeguard and secure access to such personal data and ensure that otherswith access to the personal data also comply. Such entities shouldimplement privacy policies and practices that meet or exceed industry orgovernmental requirements for maintaining the privacy and security ofpersonal data. For example, an entity should collect users' personaldata for legitimate and reasonable uses, and not share or sell the dataoutside of those legitimate uses. Such collection should occur onlyafter receiving the users' informed consent. Furthermore, third partiescan evaluate these entities to certify their adherence to establishedprivacy policies and practices.

Module 125 can, in response to receipt of a remote control authorizationrequest signal from a remote control system via an interface 116,determine whether to authorize the remote driving control of the VNS 110at the remote control system based on processing information included inthe request signal. Based on determining that the request is to beauthorized, module 125 can generate an authorization signal whichauthorizes the remote control system to remotely control the vehicle100. The module 125 can, based on determining that the request is to beauthorized, command module 124 to switch to remote driving control mode,so that the module 124 is commanded to generate control element signalsbased on remote driving commands received at VNS 110 from the remotecontrol system via an interface 116.

In some embodiments, module 125 determines whether to authorize remotedriving control of vehicle 100 based on comparing data included in theauthorization request with one or more sets of data. In someembodiments, where VNS 110 receives a remote control authorizationrequest signal which indicates that remote control of vehicle 100 isrequested by a user, separately from generation of a remote controlrequest signal at module 122, the authorization request signal caninclude information identifying a user profile associated with the userrequesting that remote driving control of VNS 110 be engaged. Module 125can compare the user identifying information with a stored set 126 ofuser profiles which are determined to be associated with users who areauthorized to request that remote control of VNS 110 be engaged. Upondetermining that the user indicated in the authorization requestcorrelates with an authorized user profile 126, module 125 can generatean authorization signal which indicates, to the remote control system,that VNS 110 authorizes remote control of vehicle 100 by the remotecontrol system.

Where the authorization request signal includes vehicle identificationdata identifying a vehicle 100 for which remote control is requested,module 125 can compare the vehicle identification data to storedidentify information 127 and can generate an authorization signal basedon determining that the vehicle identification data include in theauthorization request signal matches the vehicle identity information127 associated with vehicle 100. Such information can include apassword, passcode, key, etc. associated with “unlocking” remote drivingcontrol of the vehicle, so that module 125 can generate an authorizationsignal based on determining that the password, passcode, key, etc. isincluded in the authorization request signal.

Vehicle 110 includes a set of remote control devices 117 which areconfigured to be selectively activated and controlled based on VNS 110operating in a remote driving control mode. The devices 117 can beconfigured to be inhibited, disabled, etc. when VNS 110 is in otherdriving control modes, including manual driving control mode, autonomousdriving control mode, etc.

In some embodiments, devices 117 include one or more sets of deviceswhich indicate, to one or more elements of an external environment inwhich the vehicle 100 is located, that the vehicle is being navigatedthrough the environment based on remote control of the VNS 110. Forexample, devices 117 can include a set of light indicators, noisemakers,sirens, audio speaker devices, etc. The devices 117 can generate apredetermined set of signal patterns, including particular light signalpatterns, audio signals, etc. In some embodiments, the devices 117, whenactivated, indicate that the vehicle 100 is being operated as anemergency vehicle and is to be considered by other external trafficparticipants to be an emergency vehicle. An emergency vehicle caninclude, for example, an ambulance. In some embodiments, one or moredevices 117 include one or more particular interface devices which, whenactivated, can be controlled to actively interact with one or moreelements of the external environment. For example, one or more devices117 can include a traffic control device, including an infraredsignaling device, which can control one or more traffic control signalsin the environment. In some embodiments, one or more of the remotecontrol devices 117 includes a speaker device via which audio commands,prompts, messages, etc. can be provided to one or more vehicleoccupants, proximate external individuals, etc. The audio commands,prompts, messages, etc. can be predetermined messages generated at oneor more of the VNS 110 or a remote control system, audio signalsgenerated via operator interaction with an audio interface at the remotecontrol system, etc. For example, an operator at the remote controlsystem can utilize one or more remote control devices 117 to communicatewith an occupant of the vehicle 100, communicate with a proximateexternal individual, etc. The operator may communicate with an occupantof the vehicle to request and provide information, request that theoccupant perform certain acts, etc. The operator may communicate with aproximate external individual to request the individual to enter thevehicle interior.

VNS 110 includes a device control module 128 which is configured toselectively activate and control one or more of the remote controldevices 117 based on determining that the module 124 has switched VNS110 into a remote driving control mode. In some embodiments, module 128selectively activates and controls one or more of the devices 117 basedon one or more commands received from a remote control system via aninterface 116. In some embodiments, module 128 disables some or all ofdevices 117, such that the devices are deactivated, based on determiningthat a remote driving control mode of VNS 110 is deactivated. Module 128can inhibit control of devices 117 at vehicle based on user-initiatedcommands received from one or more interfaces 115, based on adetermination that the remote driving control of VNS 110 is presentlydisabled.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram schematic of a vehicle and remotecontrol system which are communicatively coupled via a communicationnetwork, according to some embodiments. The vehicle 200 and VNS 210illustrated in FIG. 2 can include any of the embodiments of vehicles andVNSs, etc. included herein, including vehicle 100 and VNS 210illustrated and discussed with reference to FIG. 1 . One or more of theVNS 210, remote control system 260, user device 230, etc. can beimplemented by one or more computer systems.

FIG. 2 illustrates a remote control system 260 which is configured toenable selectively engaged remote driving control of a vehicle 200 via acommunication network 250, where an operator 270 interacting with acontrol interface provided by the remote control system 260 can controlthe navigation of the vehicle 200 through one or more environments. As aresult, remote control system 260 enables remote driving control ofvehicle 200 based on interaction of operator 270 with one or moreinterfaces of system 260.

As shown, vehicle 200 includes a VNS 210. The VNS 210 includes a remotecontrol request module 222 that is configured to generate a remotecontrol request signal which includes a request for system 260 to engageremote driving control of vehicle 200. Module 222 can generate thesignal based on determining that a health state of one or moreindividuals located in the vehicle 200 interior, proximate to thevehicle 200, some combination thereof, etc. correlates with an emergencyhealth state. In some embodiments, an occupant of the vehicle 200 caninteract with one or more interfaces of the vehicle 200 to commandmodule 222 to generate the remote control request signal. Suchinteraction can include an occupant of the vehicle 200 commanding themodule 222 to establish a communication link with one or more operatorsof the remote control system 260.

The remote control request signal can be communicated from vehicle 200to system 260 via network 250. In some embodiments, the remote controlrequest signal includes vehicle identity information identifying thevehicle 200, one or more instances of health state informationassociated with one or more individuals, occupants, etc., an indicationof a basis upon which module 222 generates the request signal, somecombination thereof, etc.

The remote control system 260 includes a request processing system 262which is configured to determine, based on receipt of the remote controlrequest signal, that remote driving control of vehicle 200 at system 260is requested. System 262 can determine an identity of the vehicle 200,which can include contact address information which indicates a contactaddress of the vehicle via which system 260 can communicate with VNS 210via network 250.

System 260 includes an authorization system 264 which is configured togenerate a remote control authorization request signal, based on thedetermination at system 262 that remote driving control of vehicle 200at system 260 is requested. The authorization request signal includes arequest for authorization of remote driving control of the vehicle 220.System 260 can be configured to selectively engage remote drivingcontrol of vehicle 200 based on determination that remote drivingcontrol is authorized. The authorization request signal can betransmitted to vehicle 200 over network 250.

In some embodiments, the remote control system 260 is comprised in acivil emergency response system, sometimes referred to as a “911”emergency response service. In some embodiments, a user can establish acommunication link can be established with one or more operators of thesystem 260 and can request the system 260 to establish remote drivingcontrol of the vehicle 200. Such a request can be communicated verballyvia an audio communication link between a device supporting the user,including one or more of a user device 230, an interface included in thevehicle 200, etc.

VNS 210 includes an authorization module 225 which is configured toprocess an authorization request signal received from a remote controlsystem 260 via network 250 and generate an authorization signal whichindicates authorization of remote driving control of vehicle 200. Insome embodiments, module 225 generates the authorization signal based ondetermining that one or more instances of user identity information,vehicle identity information, etc. included in the authorization requestsignal matches with one or more instances of authorized user identityinformation, vehicle identity information, etc. associated with thevehicle 200. For example, where authorization request signal generatedat system 264 includes a remote control password, module 225 can comparethe password with a stored instance of vehicle identity data whichincludes a remote control password associated with vehicle 200 and candetermine, based on determining that the password included in theauthorization request matches with the stored password, that theauthorization request is proper. The module 225 can generate anauthorization signal based on a determination that the authorizationrequest is proper, where the authorization signal includes informationindicating that remote driving control of the vehicle 200 is authorized.

As referred to herein, remote driving control of a vehicle can bereferred to interchangeably as remote driving control of a VNS which isincluded in the vehicle.

In some embodiments, the authorization signal can include informationindicating a particular communication link via which remote drivingcontrol of VNS 210 via network 250 can be implemented at system 260. Insome embodiments, where the remote control request is generated atmodule 222, the request signal can include the authorization signal, sothat the remote control system can determine that a remote controlrequest signal received at system 262 includes an authorization of theremote driving control of the vehicle 200. System 264 can generate anauthorization confirmation signal which indicates, to VNS 210, thatsystem 260 has confirmed authorization of remote driving control ofvehicle 200, based on determining that an authorization signalindicating authorization of remote driving control of vehicle 200 isreceived.

System 260 includes a navigation system 266 which is configured togenerate remote driving command signals, also referred to herein asremote driving commands, which are communicated to VNS 210 over network250 and, when received at VNS 210, are executed by the VNS 210 tonavigate the vehicle 200 according to the remote driving commandsignals, so that vehicle is navigated according to remote drivingcontrol of vehicle 200 at system 260. VNS 210 includes a navigationcontrol module 224 which receives and processes remote driving commandswhich are generated at system 266 and communicated to VNS 210 overnetwork 250, and module 224 generates one or more sets of controlelement signals which cause one or more control elements 212 in thevehicle 200 to navigate the vehicle 200 according to the remote drivingcommand signals.

In some embodiments, module 224 communicates sensor data generated byone or more sensors 216 to system 260 over network 250. System 260includes a control interface 268 which can provide sensor data generatedat one or more sensors 216, and communicated to system 260 via network250, to one or more operators 270. In some embodiments, controlinterface 268 includes a display interface which provides one or moregraphical representations of the vehicle 200 in an external environment,where the graphical representation is generated at system 260 based onthe sensor data received from vehicle 200 over network 250. Interface268 can include one or more sets of driving control interfaces via whichan operator 270 can interact to generate one or more driving commands.System 266 can process the driving commands and, based on theprocessing, generate one or more sets of remote driving commands whichare communicated to VNS 210 over network 250.

In some embodiments, the remote control system 260 can selectivelyengage in remote driving control of a vehicle based on communicationwith a separate user device 230 which supports a separate user 240.

In some embodiments, remote control system 260 authorizes remote drivingcontrol of a vehicle 200 based on interaction with a user device 230. Insome embodiments, the remote control request signal generated at module222 includes information identifying one or more user profiles, userdevices, etc. associated with authorizing the request, and system 260generates an authorization request signal, based on the information,which is transmitted to device 230 via network 250 and includes arequest for authorization of remote driving control of vehicle 200. Theauthorization request signal can include vehicle identity informationreceived from vehicle 200 in the remote control request signal whichidentifies the vehicle 200.

System 260 can determine whether to generate an authorization requestsignal to device 230 based on a determination, at system 262, regardingwhether the request signal received from vehicle includes authorizationof the remote driving control. Module 222 can determine whether toinclude authorization of the remote driving control in the requestsignal communicated to system 260 based on an identity of one or moreusers located in the vehicle 200. For example, where module 222determines that an occupant of the vehicle 200 is not associated with astored authorized user profile, module 222 can decline from including anauthorization indication in the request signal. Where module 222determines that an occupant of the vehicle 200 is associated with astored authorized user profile, for example based on facial recognitionmonitoring of the occupant, interaction with a user device in proximityto the occupant, etc. module 222 can include an authorization indicationin the request signal.

The authorization signal communicated from system 260 to device 230 caninclude an authorization request for a user 240 supported by the device230 to authorize remote driving control of the vehicle 200. Device 230includes an authorization module 236 which can process the authorizationmodule received from system 260 and can provide to the user 240, via aninterface 232 included in the device 230, an indication of the requestfor remote driving control authorization. Based on user interaction withthe interface 232, module 236 can determine whether remote drivingcontrol of vehicle 200 is authorized. Where module 236 determines thatremote driving control of vehicle 200 is authorized, module 236 cangenerate an authorization signal, which can include authorizationinformation 238, which is communicated to system 260.

Authorization system 264 can process the message received from device230 and can determine, based on processing the authorization information238 included in the message received from device 230, that the user 240supported by device 230 has authorized remote driving control of vehicle200. In response, system 260 can engage remote driving control ofvehicle 200, which can include commanding VNS 210 to communicate sensordata generated by one or more sensors 216, providing representations ofthe vehicle 200 in the environment to operator 270 via interface 268,and generating remote driving commands to VNS 210 based on operator 270interaction with an interface 268, which causes the VNS 210 to navigatethe vehicle according to the driving control command signals.

In some embodiments, a remote control request signal is generated atdevice 230, and communicated to system 260 over network 250, based onuser 240 interaction with interface 232 of device 230. Device 230includes a remote access module 234 which is configured to generate aremote control request signal based on user interaction with interface232. The request signal generated at module 234 can include vehicleidentity information which identifies vehicle 200, user identityinformation which identifies user 240, some combination thereof, etc.

In some embodiments, system 260 is configured to generate anauthorization request signal to a particular VNS 210 of a particularvehicle 200 based on information included in a remote control requestsignal received from device 230. Where the signal received from device230 includes user identity information identifying user 240, system 260is configured to correlate the user identity information with vehicleidentity information that identities a vehicle which is associated withthe user identity information. Vehicle identity information can includecontact address information which specifies a contact address via whichsystem 260 can communicate with vehicle 200 via network 250, a passwordvia which a communication link with the vehicle 200 can be established,some combination thereof, etc.

Based on identifying vehicle 200 based on information included in arequest signal received from device 230, system 260 can generate anauthorization request signal which includes a request for VNS 210 toauthorize remote driving control of vehicle 200 by system 260. Theauthorization request signal can include information identifying one ormore of user 240, device 230, etc. Module 225 can respond to theauthorization request signal by determining a match between the useridentity information included in the authorization request signal withat least some user identity information included in stored set ofauthorized user profiles. Based on determining the match, module 225 cangenerate an authorization signal which indicates, to system 260, thatremote driving control of vehicle 200 is authorized.

In some embodiments, remote driving control is engaged based on an audiocommunication link between a device supporting a user and the remotecontrol system 260. Remote driving control, by system 260, of vehicle200 can be engaged based at least in part upon an audio communicationbetween one or more of a user 240 and an occupant of vehicle 200 andsystem 260. For example, an occupant of vehicle 200 can establish acommunication link with system 260 via interaction with one or more userinterfaces of vehicle 200 and can communicate, via the communicationlink, a request for emergency assistance to one or more of the system260, an operator supported by the system 260, etc. Such a communicationcan include an emergency distress message, also referred to as a “911call”. In some embodiments, the system 260 is configured to determinethat an occupant is requesting that remote driving control of vehicle200 be engaged, based on processing the communication, and can generatean authorization request signal in response. In some embodiments, thecommunication is provided to an operator supported by system 260, andsystem 260 selectively generates an authorization request signal basedon operator interaction with one or more interfaces 268 of the system260 in response.

FIG. 3A-D illustrates interactions between the remote control system, avehicle, and a user device associated with selectively engaging remotedriving control of the vehicle at the remote control system, accordingto some embodiments.

FIG. 3A illustrates communication of a remote control request to remotecontrol system 260 via a communication network 250, where the request isprocessed at a request processing system 262 of system 260 and system262 determines, based on the processing, that remote driving control ofvehicle 200 is requested.

In some embodiments, the remote control request is generated at anaccess request module 222 of vehicle 200 and is communicated fromvehicle 200 to system 260 as signal 310 over network 250. Module 222 cangenerate the remote control request based on determining that one ormore monitored conditions at least meets a threshold value. Thedetermining can include a determination that a monitored health stateparameter associated with at least one occupant of an interior of thevehicle 200, at least one individual external to the vehicle 200, somecombination thereof, etc. at least meets one or more emergency healthstate parameter thresholds For example, where module 222 determines,based on processing sensor data generated by one or more sensor devicesincluded in vehicle 200, that a monitored health state parameter of anoccupant of the vehicle 200 at least meets an emergency health statethreshold, module 222 can, in response, generate a remote controlrequest signal 310 which is communicated to system 260 can comprises arequest for system 260 to engage in remote driving control of vehicle200.

In some embodiments, module 222 generates signal 310 based at least inpart upon a remote driving control request signal 322 received from auser device 230 supporting one or more authorized users. In someembodiments, device 230 includes a remote access module 234 which isconfigured to generate a remote control request signal 322 which istransmitted to vehicle 200, and causes module 222 to generate remotecontrol request signal 310, based on user interaction with one or moreuser interfaces of device 230. The signal 322 can include informationidentifying a user profile associated with the user supported by device230, and module 222 can generate signal 310 based on determining a matchbetween the user profile identified in the signal 322 with an authorizeduser profile stored at vehicle 200.

In some embodiments, a remote control request signal is generated at theuser device 230 instead of vehicle 200 and is communicated from device230 to remote control system 260 as signal 320 via communication network250. In some embodiments, remote access module 234 is configured togenerate a remote control request signal 320 which is transmitted toremote control system 260, based on user interaction with one or moreuser interfaces of device 230. The signal 320 can include informationidentifying one or more of a user profile associated with the usersupported by device 230, a particular vehicle 200, etc.

FIG. 3B illustrates authorization of remote driving control of vehicle200 at remote control system 260 via communication between the system260 and one or more of vehicle 200 and user device 230 via network 250.

In some embodiments, remote control system 260 includes an authorizationsystem 264 which, based on receipt of a remote control request signal310, 320 from one or more of the vehicle 200 or the device 230 at system260 as shown at FIG. 3A, generates an authorization request signal whichrequests one or more of a vehicle 200 or user device 230 to provideauthorization of the remote driving control requested in the signal 310,320.

In some embodiments, where the request signal received at the requestprocessing system 262 of remote control system 260 includes a signal 320communicated from module 234 of user device 230, the signal can includevehicle identity information which identifies a vehicle 200 for whichremote driving control is requested and address information via whichsystem 260 can communicate with vehicle 200 over network 250. System 264can, based on the vehicle identity information included in the requestsignal 320, generate an authentication request signal 331 which iscommunicated to vehicle 200 and includes a request to authorization ofremote driving control of the vehicle at system 260. The signal 331 caninclude user identity information included in the signal 320, and module225 can compare the user identity information included in signal 331which a stored set of authorized user identities. Module 225 can, basedon determining a match between a user profile which is identified in theauthorization request signal 331 and a stored set of authorized userprofiles, generate an authorization signal 332, which can includeinformation indicating authorization of remote driving control ofvehicle 200, which is communicated to system 260 via network 250.

In some embodiments, where the request signal received at the requestprocessing system 262 of remote control system 260 includes a signal 310communicated from module 222 of vehicle 210, the signal can include useridentity information which identifies a user who can authorize therequested remote driving control. In some embodiments, the user identityinformation includes contact address information which identifies a userdevice 230 which can be contacted to request authorization. In someembodiments, the user identity information includes informationidentifying a user profile associated with a user which can be contactedto request authorization, and system 264 can, based on the user identityinformation, identify a particular user device 230 associated with theuser profile. Based on identifying a user device 230 associated with theuser identity, system 264 can generate an authorization request signalwhich is communicated 333 to the user device 230 via network 250. Thedevice 230 includes a module 236 which can provide a user supported bythe device 230 with an indication of the authorization request signaland can, based on a user-initiated command to authorize the remotedriving control of vehicle 200, generate an authorization signal whichcan include information indicating authorization of the remote drivingcontrol of vehicle 200 and is communicated 333 to system 260 via network250.

In some embodiments, an authorization signal which indicatesauthorization of the remote driving control of vehicle 200 can includecommunication data which enables remote driving control of the vehicle200. For example, the authorization signal can include a password which,when included with remote driving command signals communicated to thevehicle 200, causes a navigation control module 224 of the vehicle 200to execute the remote driving commands based on determining that thepassword correlates with a stored password which is associated with thevehicle. The password can be stored at one or more of modules 225 invehicle 200 and module 236 at device 230, and authorization signalsgenerated at one or more of modules 225, 236 and indicatingauthorization of remote driving control of vehicle 200 can include thestored password associated with vehicle 200.

FIG. 3C illustrates vehicle 200 being navigated based on remote drivingcontrol of the vehicle 200 at remote control system 260 via acommunication link 341 over network 250. System 260 includes anavigation control system 266 which is configured to, based on receivingauthorization of remote driving control of vehicle 200, establish atwo-way communication link 341 between the system 260 and the vehicle200 via communication network 250. System 266 is configured to generateremote driving command signals which are communicated to the navigationcontrol module 224 of vehicle 200 via link 341, where the navigationcontrol module generates control element commands to various controlelements of the vehicle 200 which cause the vehicle 200 to be navigatedaccording to the remote driving commands generated at control system266. Control system can generate a remote driving control initiationcommand which is communicated to vehicle 200 over link 341 and, whenreceived at module 224, is executed by module 224 and causes the module224 to establish the driving control mode of vehicle 200 as the remotedriving control mode, which includes commanding the module 224 toselectively generate control element commands based on remote drivingcommands received from system 266 via link 241. The module 224 canselectively execute remote driving commands based on determining whetherthe remote driving commands include a password, key, etc. associatedwith the vehicle 200, where the module responds to identification of thepassword, key, etc. in a remote driving command by determining that theremote driving command is an authentic command. The module can compare apassword, key, etc. included in a received remote driving command with astored password, key, etc. and can determine authenticity of the remotedriving command based on determining that the password, key, etc. in theremote driving command matches the stored password, key, etc.

Module 224 can, in response to receiving a remote driving controlinitiation command, generate sensor data signals which include sensordata generated by one or more sensor devices included in the environmentand are communicated to system 260 via link 341. The control interface268 included in system 260 can process the sensor data included in thesensor data signals and can generate a representation of the vehicle200, the surrounding environment in which the vehicle is located, andone or more various parameters associated with the vehicle (e.g.,velocity, acceleration, proximity to various elements in theenvironment, etc. which is provided to an operator via one or moreinterfaces. Control system 266 can generate remote driving commandsbased on operator interaction with one or more portions of the interface268.

As shown in FIG. 3C, additional signals 342 can be communicated betweenremote control system 260 and device 230 via network 250, and additionalsignals 343 can be communicated between vehicle 200 and device 230. Thesignals 342, 343 can include signals indicating one or more parametersassociated with the vehicle (e.g., velocity, acceleration, proximity tovarious elements in the environment, etc., an indication that thevehicle is in remote driving control mode, etc.

FIG. 3D illustrates remote control system 260 terminating remote drivingcontrol of vehicle 200. System 266 can determine to terminate remotedriving control of vehicle 200 based at least in part upon one or moreof a user-initiated command generated at interface 268, a determination,based on received sensor data from vehicle 200, that the vehicle 200 islocated at a particular location proximate to one or more particularelements in the environment, etc. For example, system 266 can determine,based on processing sensor data received from vehicle 200 via network250, that the vehicle is stopped within a threshold proximity of aparticular static element in the environment, including a hospital. Thesystem 266 can provide an operator with a prompt to command remotedriving control termination, via interface 268. Based on determiningthat remote driving control is to be terminated, system 266 can generatea reset control signal which is communicated 351 to vehicle 200 vianetwork 250. Module 224, upon receiving the reset control signal, candisable remote driving control mode of the vehicle 200, which caninclude switching the driving control mode of the vehicle to autonomousdriving control and engaging in autonomously navigating the vehiclealong a selected driving route to a selected location, including aproximate parking space.

In addition, based on determining that remote driving control isterminated, one or more of system 260 and vehicle 200 can generate resetcontrol signals 352, 353 which can be communicated to device 230 and caninclude a message, which can be provided to a user via interface 232,indicating that remote driving control of vehicle 200 is terminated.

In some embodiments, system 266 can generate control systems which arecommunicates 351 to vehicle 200 via network 250 and, when received, areexecuted by one or more portions of the vehicle 200 to control one ormore various devices included in the vehicle 200. For example, system266 can generate remote control device commands which, when communicatedto vehicle 200 via network 250, are executed by one or more portions ofthe vehicle to control one or more remote control devices according tothe remote control device commands. Such remote control device commandscan include commands to activate one or more remote control device lightindicators, audio speakers, etc. In some embodiments, system 266 cangenerate commands which are executed by one or more portions of vehicle200 to control door locks in one or more of the doors included in thevehicle.

In some embodiments, remote control system 260 is configured to remotelynavigate vehicle 200, based on remote driving control of the vehicle200, in response to a determination that the VNS 210 is unable toautonomously navigate the vehicle 200 under a particular set ofconditions. Such a determination can be based on monitoring, at one ormore of the system 260, VNS 210, etc. sensor data provided by one ormore sensors 216 included in the vehicle 200, and the particular set ofconditions can include the sensor data having at least a certain minimumlevel of quality. As a result, system 260 can navigate vehicle 200 viaremote driving control in response to sensor 216 data degradation. Inaddition, the particular set of conditions can include a present of ahuman adult within one or more particular portions of the vehicle 200interior. For example, a remote driving control request to system 260can be generated by VNS 210 based on a determination, at VNS 210, that ahuman adult is absent from one or more particular portions of thevehicle interior, including one or more of a driver position, afront-seat position, some combination thereof, etc.

In some embodiments, system 260 is configured to navigate vehicle 200 toone or more particular positions, via remote driving control of vehicle200 by system 260, to cause the vehicle to be positioned at a particularlocation. For example, where system 260 is associated with a valetparking service, the system 260 can receive a request, from one or moreof the vehicle 200, a user device 230 supporting an authorized user 240,etc. for the vehicle 200 to be valet parked. In response, system 260 canengage remote driving control of vehicle 200 and navigate the vehicle200 to a parking position. In response to receiving a request tonavigate the vehicle to another position where an occupant can retrievethe vehicle, the system 260 can navigate the vehicle 200 to the otherposition and can hand off driving control to one or more of manualdriving control, local autonomous driving control by the VNS 210, etc.

FIG. 4 illustrates an overhead view of a stopped vehicle which includesan impaired occupant being autonomously navigated from a startingposition to a selected driving destination location, according to someembodiments. The vehicle illustrated in FIG. 4 includes a VNS includedin any of the embodiments herein.

In some embodiments, a VNS included in a vehicle 401 is configured tonavigate the vehicle 401, based on control element signals generated bythe VNS which causes various control elements included in the vehicle tocontrol one or more aspects of the vehicle, etc., based on remotedriving commands received at the VNS from a remotely-located remotecontrol system 490 via a two-way communication link 491 between thevehicle 401 and the system 490. As a result, vehicle 401 is navigatedthrough the environment 400 according to remote driving control ofvehicle 401 at remote control system 490.

Remote driving control of vehicle 401 can be engaged based at least inpart upon a determination, at a VNS included in the vehicle, that one ormore health state parameters of an occupant of the vehicle at least meetone or more emergency state thresholds. When remote driving control ofvehicle 401 at system 490 is engaged, a control system included insystem 490 can generate remote driving commands, based on operatorinteraction with an interface included in the system 490, which causesthe vehicle 401 to be navigated to a particular location in theenvironment.

As shown in FIG. 4 , vehicle can be navigated, via remote drivingcontrol, to one or more of a selection of driving destinations. Theselection can be provided to an operator at system 490, via one or moreinterfaces, and a particular selected destination 480 can be determined,and a driving route along which vehicle 401 can be navigated todestination 480, based on operator-initiated selection of the particulardestination 480 from the selection of driving destinations.

FIG. 4 illustrates a geographic region 400 which includes a firstdriving location 410 at which a vehicle 401 is stopped in a particularlocation 412. As shown, the driving destination 410 is a parking lotwhich comprises a set of parking spots 412, and where the location 412in which the stopped vehicle 401 is located is a particular parkingspot.

Vehicle 401 includes a VNS which has engaged remote driving control ofvehicle 401 at system 490, based at least in part upon a determinationthat at least one occupant of the vehicle interior is associated withone or more particular health states, including an emergency healthstate. The vehicle 401 is controlled by the VNS based on remote drivingcommands received from system 490 via link 491.

As shown in FIG. 4 , when the vehicle 401 is stopped and remote drivingcontrol of the vehicle 401 is engaged, the vehicle 401 can beautonomously navigated to a second driving destination 480, and inparticular to a driving destination location 482 associated with thedriving destination 480, via a route 470A-E along various roadways 420,430, 440, 450, 460. Such navigation can include the VNS navigating thevehicle 401 according to remote driving commands received via link 491from location 412 to destination 480, where the VNS can refine thedestination of the route 470 to be location 482 when the vehicle 401 isproximate to destination 480, so that the vehicle can be stopped atlocation 482 as stopped vehicle 401A.

In some embodiments, the VNS included in vehicle 401 can navigatevehicle 401 along one or more various portions of a driving route basedon remote driving commands which specify general navigation actions. Forexample, in the illustrated embodiments, the VNS included in vehicle401, when stopped at location 412, can receive a remote driving commandwhich generally specifies that the vehicle is to be navigated out oflocation 410 and into lane 433 of roadway 430, and the VNS included invehicle 401 can respond to the remote driving command by generating aset of control element signals which cause control elements of thevehicle to accelerate the vehicle along a set of pathways 470A-B whichresult in the vehicle 401 being navigated through roadway 420 and intolane 433 of roadway 430. Similarly, VNS can generate sets of controlelement signals which cause vehicle 401 to be navigated along variousportions 470C-F of the driving route according to general remote drivingcommands received from system 490.

In some embodiments, vehicle 401 can interact with various elements ofthe environment based on remote driving control of the vehicle beingengaged. A vehicle 401 can include a set of remote control devices whichare selectively activated or disabled based on whether the remotedriving control of the vehicle is engaged or disabled, respectively.Where remote driving control of the vehicle is engaged, one or more ofthe remote control devices can interact with one or more elements of theenvironment to facilitate navigation of the vehicle through theenvironment. For example, where environment 400 includes elements 481,484 which are traffic control signals which indicate whether trafficmoving along one or more of roadways 420, 430 should move intosubsequent roadways 430, 440, respectively, vehicle 401 can include aremote control device which can interact with one or more of theelements 481, 484 and can cause the elements to switch the providedindication so that the elements indicate that traffic in the lane inwhich the vehicle 401 is located can proceed to move. As a result,navigation of the vehicle 401 through environment 400 can be acceleratedwhile maintaining proper regulation of traffic through the environment.

In some embodiments, where remote driving control of vehicle 401 isengaged, the vehicle 401 can be navigated in a manner which violates oneor more various rules of the road. For example, where remote drivingcontrol is engaged, a VNS included in vehicle 401 can generate controlelement signals, based on remote driving commands received from system490, which cause the vehicle 401 to be navigated at a velocity whichexceeds a speed limit of the roadway on which the vehicle 401 islocated. In another example, where vehicle 401 is being navigated alongroute 470B in lane 433 of roadway 430, and the vehicle 401 isapproaching a stopped vehicle 483 at intersection 440, the VNS includedin vehicle 401 can, based on received remote driving commands whichcommand that vehicle 401 be navigated through intersection 440 and intoroadway 450, navigate the vehicle 401 along a route 470C which navigatesvehicle 401 into opposing-travel roadway lane 431 and into intersection400 and a lane of roadway 450, even though navigating into lane 431 canresult in violations of traffic laws. Such violations can be temporarilyauthorized as a result of the vehicle 401 being in a remote drivingcontrol mode. In some embodiments, VNS selectively generates controlelement signals which cause the vehicle 401 to be navigated in violationof a traffic law based on receipt of a remote driving command, fromsystem 490, which includes an authorization to violate the traffic law.The authorization can include a specific authorization to violate aspecific traffic law, a blanket authorization to violate a set of one ormore various traffic laws, etc. The authorization can be restricted tonavigation through a particular portion of the environment and can beretracted based on retraction signals received from system 490.

FIG. 5 illustrates an overhead view of a vehicle in motion which stopsat a particular roadside location to pick up an individual at theroadside and then navigate the vehicle to a destination location viaremote driving control, according to some embodiments. The vehicleillustrated in FIG. 5 includes a VNS included in any of the embodimentsherein.

In some embodiments, a vehicle can be navigated according to remotedriving commands so that the vehicle is navigated to a stop proximate toa particular individual in the environment, whereupon the individual canenter the vehicle interior and the vehicle can be further navigated, viaremote driving control, to a particular driving destination.

The individual can include an individual for whom a health emergency isdetermined by one or more vehicles, remote control systems, etc. In someembodiments, the individual interacts with a user device to generate aremote control request signal which is communicated 593 to remotecontrol system 590. In response, the system 590 can communicate 591 aremote control authorization request to vehicle 501. The system 590 canselectively communicate with the particular vehicle 501 based oninformation included in the request signal communicated 593 fromindividual 505 which identifies the vehicle 501, a determination thatvehicle 501 is within a certain proximity distance to individual 505,some combination thereof, etc.

The request signal communicated 593 from individual 505 to system 590can include information indicating a roadside position 504 which isproximate to the individual 505. System 590 can utilize the positioninformation to command vehicle 501 to be navigated 502A to a stop atposition 504 as vehicle 503A. System 590 can control one or moreportions of the vehicle 501, including door actuators, door locks, etc.Based on determining, based on one or more internal sensors, externalsensors, etc. that the individual 505 enters the vehicle 501, system 590can generate remote driving commands which are communicated to vehicle501 via link 591 can cause the vehicle 501 to be navigated 502B fromposition 504, along roadways 510, 540, to a destination 550 selected atsystem 590. In some embodiments, a VNS included in vehicle 501 canrespond to a remote driving command from system 590 to navigate thevehicle 501 designation 550 by selecting a particular location 552associated with the destination 550 and navigating the vehicle 501 to astop at the location 552 as vehicle 503B.

In some embodiments, vehicle 501 can utilize one or more remote controldevices to communicate information to individual 505 when vehicle 501 isstopped at position 504 as vehicle 503A. Such communication can includegenerating a predetermined audio message to the individual, including acommand to the individual 505 to enter the vehicle interior,communicating an audio message generated at system 590 based on operatorinteraction with an audio interface, etc. In some embodiments, thevehicle 501 includes a remote control device which enables two-way audiocommunication between an operator at remote control system 590 andindividual 505.

FIG. 6 illustrates a control interface of a remote control system,according to some embodiments. The control interface illustrated in FIG.6 can be included in any of the embodiments of remote control systemsincluded herein.

In some embodiments, a control interface included in a remote controlsystem includes a graphical display via which an operator interactingwith the interface to remotely control navigation of a vehicle throughan environment can view a graphical representation of the vehicle in theenvironment. The control interface can include one or more sets ofdriving control interfaces via which the operator can interact tocontrol navigation of the vehicle through the environment. The graphicalrepresentation can be generated based on sensor data generated at one ormore sensor devices included in the vehicle and communicated to theremote control system.

FIG. 6 illustrates a control interface 600 which includes a graphicaldisplay 610 and a set of driving control interfaces 620. As shown, thegraphical display 610 includes a graphical representation of a vehicle612 in an external environment, where the environment includes a roadwaynetwork 614 on which the vehicle is located, one or more static elements618 located in the environment, etc.

The graphical representation illustrates a third-person view, alsoreferred to as overhead view, bird-eye view, etc. of the vehicle 612 andcan be generated based on sensor data generated by one or more sensordevices included in the vehicle 612 and communicated to a remote controlsystem in which the interface 600 is located. An operator can interactwith interface 620 to cause vehicle 612 to be navigated through theenvironment.

The graphical representation includes a representation 616 of thepresent navigation of the vehicle 612 through the external environment.The representation 616 provides an indication of the present directionand velocity of the vehicle 612 along roadway 614 and can be generatedbased at least in part upon one or more of operator interactions withinterface 620, sensor data received at a remote control system fromvehicle 612, etc.

The graphical representation includes a representation of navigationcues 620 along which vehicle 612 can be navigated, based on operatorinteraction with interface 620, to navigate vehicle 612 to a particularselected driving destination. The driving destination can be selectedbased on operator interaction with interface 620 to select a particulardriving destination from a selection of driving destinations, andinterface 600 can generate a set of navigation cues which indicate adriving route along which the vehicle 612 can be navigated through theenvironment to be navigated to the particular driving destination.

FIG. 7 illustrates executing remote driving control at a vehiclenavigation system (VNS) included in a vehicle, according to someembodiments. The vehicle navigation system can include any of theembodiments of a vehicle navigation system included herein and can beimplemented by one or more computer systems.

At 701, one or more instances of sensor data, generated by one or moresensor devices included in a vehicle, are received and processed at theVNS. Sensor data can be received from multiple different sensor devices.Sensor data can include images captured by one or more camera devices,chemical substance data indicating a presence and concentration ofchemical substances in the vehicle interior, some combination thereof,etc.

Sensor data processing can include determining a value for one or morehealth state parameters associated with an occupant of one moreparticular positions of the vehicle interior, an individual locatedexternal to the vehicle within a certain threshold proximity, somecombination thereof, etc.

At 702, a remote control condition is determined at the VNS. A remotecontrol condition can include a determination that remote drivingcontrol of the vehicle is to be established and executed, and thedetermination can be made based on a determination of a health emergencywith regard to one or more vehicle occupants, external individuals, etc.for which health state parameters of the occupant, individual, etc. aredetermined at 702.

In some embodiments, processing sensor data can include comparing adetermined value for one or more health state parameters associated withan occupant of the vehicle interior with one or more emergency healthstate threshold values for the one more health state parameters. Healthstate parameters can include one or more of occupant eye pupil dilation,occupant blinking rate, occupant heart rate, occupant head motionfrequency, atmospheric concentration of one or more chemical substancesin the vehicle interior, quantity and magnitude of manually-inducednavigation errors, some combination thereof, etc.

A determination that an occupant, individual, etc. is associated with anemergency health state can include a determination that whether one ormore determined parameter values associated with one or more occupants,individuals, etc. exceeds an emergency heath state threshold associatedwith the parameter values. For example, where a parameter value for anoccupant in the driver position is determined, via processing of sensordata at 701, to be a heart rate (also referred to as “heartbeat rate”,etc.), a determination of whether the health state parameter valueexceeds an emergency health state threshold can include determiningwhether the determined occupant heart rate exceeds a threshold level ofheart rate. In some embodiments, an emergency health state threshold isassociated with a health state at which an occupant having such a healthstate is impaired from being able to manually navigate the vehicle to atleast a particular predetermined level of precision.

The threshold level can be specific to the particular identifiedoccupant for which the health state parameter values are determined.Determining whether an emergency health state threshold value isexceeded can include tracking one or more health state parameter valuesof an occupant over time and determining if the one or more health stateparameter values exceed the emergency health state threshold valueassociated with the one or more health state parameter values for atleast a threshold amount of elapsed time.

If one or more parameter values associated with an occupant located inone or more particular positions in the vehicle interior are determinedto exceed a health emergency threshold value, a determination can bemade that the occupant is associated with a health emergency. Adetermination of a remote control condition at 702 can be based on thedetermination that the occupant is associated with the health emergency.

In some embodiments, a remote control condition is determined based atleast in part upon manual interaction with one or more user interfacesincluded in the vehicle. For example, where a user interface included inthe vehicle includes an interactive element associated with engagingremote control of the vehicle, the VNS can determine a remote controlcondition based upon interaction, by one or more occupants of thevehicle, with the interactive element included in the user interface.

At 704, a remote control request is generated at the VNS andcommunicated to a remote control system which is external to the vehiclein which the VNS is located. The request can include a request for theremote control system to engage remote driving control of the vehicle, arequest to navigate the vehicle to one or more particular locations,sensor data generated by one or more sensor devices of the vehicle,health state parameter data determined based on the processing at 701,vehicle identity data identifying the vehicle for which remote drivingcontrol is requested, some combination thereof, etc.

At 706, remote driving control of the vehicle is authorized at the VNS.Such authorization can include generating an authorization signal whichcan include a message which indicates authorization of the remotecontrol system to engage remote driving control of the vehicle, apassword which can be used by the remote control system to communicateauthorized remote driving commands which will be accepted and executedby the VNS included in the vehicle, some combination thereof, etc. Theauthorization signal can be generated based on receipt of anauthorization request signal from the remote control system. Theauthorization request signal can include one or more instances ofidentity data, including vehicle identity data, user identity data,etc., and the authorization signal can be generated based on one or moreof a determination that the vehicle identity data included in theauthorization request signal matches vehicle identity data associatedwith the vehicle in which the VNS is located, a determination that theuser identity data included in the authorization request signal matchesat least one user profile associated with an authorized user, somecombination thereof, etc. In some embodiments, the authorization signalis generated based on the remote control request being generated at 704and independently of any authorization request signal from the remotecontrol system.

At 708, remote driving commands received at the VNS from the remotecontrol system are executed at the VNS, which results in the vehicle inwhich the VNS is included being navigated through an environment basedon remote driving control of the vehicle at the remote control system.Received remote driving commands can be executed based on adetermination, at the VNS, that the received remote driving commands areauthorized commands. A determination that a received remote drivingcommand is an authorized command can include a determination that thereceived remote driving command includes a password which matches alocally-stored password associated with authorized remote drivingcommands. The VNS can selectively execute a received remote drivingcommand based on whether the received remote driving command includesthe matching password.

Executing a received remote driving command can include processing theremote driving command, determine a driving action commanded by theremote driving command, generating a set of control element commandsbased on the commanded driving action, and transmitting the set ofcontrol element commands to a set of control elements included in thevehicle. The control elements, upon executing the set of control elementcommands, cause the vehicle to be navigated according to the commandeddriving action.

Executing a remote driving command at 708 can include switching thedriving control mode of the VNS to a remote driving control mode, whichresults in the VNS selectively executing remote driving commands andinhibiting manual driving control of the vehicle via one or moreinterfaces included in the vehicle. In some embodiments, the VNS isconfigured to switch from remote driving control to local autonomousdriving control, local manual driving control, etc., based oninteraction by an occupant of the vehicle with one or more userinterfaces included in the vehicle. For example, the VNS can execute thereset command 710 based on receiving an occupant-initiated command todisable remote driving control. In some embodiments, in response toreceipt of a re-set command, the VNS can autonomously navigate thevehicle to a stopped position in a particular selected proximatelocation, including a roadway shoulder region, a proximate parkingspace, etc., whereupon manual driving control of the vehicle can beactivated.

In some embodiments, the VNS communicates one or more instances ofsensor data, generated by one or more sensor devices in the vehicle, tothe remote control system based on authorizing remote driving control.As a result, the remote control system can use the sensor data toprovide an operator which a representation of the vehicle in which theVNS is located in the environment, and the operator can utilize therepresentation to initiate commands upon which remote controlsystem-generated remote driving commands are based. In some embodiments,the VNS generates one or more control commands to cause the vehicle tobe navigated along a driving route which differs from the driving routealong which the vehicle is being remotely navigated. For example, wherethe vehicle is being remotely navigated along a roadway, and the VNSdetermines that the present driving route of the vehicle is approachingwithin a threshold proximity to a static object in the roadway, the VNScan cause the vehicle to be navigated along a driving route which avoidsintersection with the static element, thereby temporarily overridingremote driving control of the vehicle, and resuming remote drivingcontrol upon completion of the avoidance navigation. The VNS canestimate a driving route along which the vehicle is being remotelynavigated, determine an avoidance driving route which departs from theestimated riving route and returns to the estimated driving route uponavoiding intersection with an element in the environment, execute theavoidance driving route, and resuming remote driving control of thevehicle upon returning the vehicle to the estimated driving route. TheVNS can transmit a signal to the remote control system which providesindication that the VNS is navigating the vehicle along an avoidancedriving route upon determining and executing the avoidance drivingroute.

At 710, the VNS executes a reset control command to terminate remotedriving control mode of the VNS, based on receipt of a reset controlcommand from the remote control system. The VNS, in executing the resetcontrol command, can switch from remote driving control mode toautonomous driving control mode and can autonomously navigate thevehicle to a standby location, including a determined proximateavailable parking space. Executing the reset control command can includeterminating sensor data communication to the remote control system,terminating one or more communication links with the remote controlsystem, etc.

In some embodiments, the VNS communicates with a user device supportinga particular user based on executing remote driving control. Forexample, in some embodiments, the VNS can, based on executing any one ormore of 701-710, generate a message which is communicated to the userdevice and indicates that the any one or more of 701-710 is beingexecuted at the VNS, has been executed at the VNS, some combinationthereof, etc.

FIG. 8 illustrates executing remote driving control of a VNS included ina vehicle at a remote control system which is external to the vehicle,according to some embodiments. The vehicle navigation system can includeany of the embodiments of a vehicle navigation system included hereinand can be implemented by one or more computer systems.

At 802, a remote control request is received at the remote controlsystem. The remote control request includes a request to engage remotedriving control of a vehicle, via remote driving control of the VNSincluded in the vehicle. The request can include vehicle identity datawhich identifies the vehicle for which remote driving control isrequested.

In some embodiments, the remote control request is received from thevehicle for which remote driving control is requested. In someembodiments, the remote control request is received from a user devicewhich is separate from the vehicle for which remote driving control isrequested. In some embodiments, the remote control request includes oneor more instances of user identity data which identify a particular userprofile associated with the remote control request. For example, wherethe remote control request is received from a user device, the requestcan include, in addition to vehicle identity data indicating the vehiclefor which remote driving control is requested, an instance of useridentity data identifying the user who commanded the request.

At 804, an authorizer of remote driving control of the vehicle for whichremote control is requested, referred to herein interchangeably as theremote control vehicle, is identified based on the remote controlrequest. In some embodiments, the authorizer is the remote drivingcontrol vehicle itself. For example, where the remote control request isreceived from a separate user device, the remote control request caninclude vehicle identity data which identifies the vehicle, the VNSincluded in the vehicle, some combination thereof, etc. The identitydata can include contact address data via which a communication link canbe established between the remote control system and the vehicle, apassword which can be utilized at the remote control system to establishthe communication link, etc. The remote control system can determine,based on a determination that the remote control request is receivedfrom a user device which is separate from the remote control vehicle,that the remote control vehicle itself is the authorizer.

In some embodiments, the remote control system can access a database ofauthorizers associated with particular vehicles and can determine thatone or more of the remote control vehicle, one or more user profilesassociated with the remote control vehicle in the database, one or moreuser devices associated with the remote control vehicle in the database,some combination thereof, etc. are authorizers. In some embodiments, theremote control system can identify multiple authorizers of remotedriving control of the vehicle, where a limited selection of theauthorizers are required to authorize remote driving control of theremote control vehicle.

At 806, an authorization request to the authorizer is generated. In someembodiments, the authorization request includes a request for theauthorizer to authorize remote driving control of the remote controlvehicle. Where the authorizer is a user supported by a particular userdevice, a user associated with a particular user profile, user account,etc., the authorization request can include information identifying theremote control vehicle. Where the authorizer is the remote controlvehicle itself, the authorization request can include informationidentifying a user profile, user device, etc. associated with the remotecontrol request.

At 808 and 810, if remote driving control of the vehicle is authorized,remote driving control of the vehicle is engaged at the remote controlsystem. A determination that remote driving control is authorized caninclude a determination that an authorization signal is received from atleast one authorizer of remote driving control of the vehicle. Theauthorization signal can include password information associated withcommunicated authorized remote driving commands which will beselectively executed by the VNS included in the vehicle, and the remotecontrol system can respond to identification of the password informationincluded in the authorization signal by at least partially incorporatingthe password information into generated remote driving commands.

Engaging remote driving control of the vehicle at 810 includes providingan operator of the remote control system, via a control interface, witha graphical representation of the remote control vehicle in theenvironment in which it is located. The providing is based on sensordata received from the remote control vehicle. The sensor data can begenerated at the remote control vehicle, and the sensor data can beprocessed at the remote control system to generate the graphicalrepresentation.

Engaging remote driving control of the vehicle at 810 includesgenerating remote driving commands which, when executed at the VNSincluded in the vehicle, cause the vehicle to be navigated according tothe remote driving commands. Remote driving commands can be generatedbased on operator interaction with one or more control interfacesincluded in the remote control system. The operator can interact withthe control interface based on the graphical representation of thevehicle in the environment provided to the operator.

At 812, one or more sets of remote control devices included in theremote control vehicle are engaged via device commands generated at theremote control system. The remote control devices can include one ormore devices which are configured to provide externally-observableindications that the vehicle is being navigated via remote drivingcontrol, that the vehicle is being navigated based on a healthemergency, etc. The remote control devices can include on or moredevices which are configured to interact with one or more portions ofthe external environment, including one or more traffic control signals,to cause the one or more portions of the external environment to executean operation which results in expediting navigation along a portion ofthe route along which the vehicle is being navigated via remote drivingcontrol. For example, a remote control device can include an infraredindicator which is configured to interact with an infrared sensorinstalled in a traffic control signal, so that the infrared indicatorcommands the traffic control signal to indicate that traffic navigatingalong the same roadway lane as the remote control vehicle is authorizedto move along the lane, through an intersection, etc.

In some embodiments, one or more device commands comprises a command, toone or more portions of the remote control vehicle, to activate theremote control device. The command can include an authorization passcodewhich, when processed by the remote control device, causes the remotecontrol device to selectively respond to the command. The remote controldevice can be configured to deactivate in the absence of receiving acommand which includes the authorization passcode within a certainperiod of elapsed time.

In some embodiments, the device commands are communicated concurrentlywith the remote driving commands generated at the remote control system.

At 813 and 814, a reset control command is generated, which, whenexecuted by the VNS in the remote control vehicle, causes remote drivingcontrol of the vehicle to be disabled, based on a determination thatremote control is to be terminated. The determination can be based on aparticular interaction of an operator which a control interface of theremote control system, including an operator-initiated command toterminate remote driving control of the vehicle. The determination canbe based on a determination that the vehicle is in a particular locationin the environment and is at a complete stop in the environment, basedon processing one or more instances of sensor data received from thevehicle.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example computer system 900 that may be configuredto include or execute any or all of the embodiments described above. Indifferent embodiments, computer system 900 may be any of various typesof devices, including, but not limited to, a personal computer system,desktop computer, laptop, notebook, tablet, slate, pad, or netbookcomputer, cell phone, smartphone, PDA, portable media device, mainframecomputer system, handheld computer, workstation, network computer, acamera or video camera, a set top box, a mobile device, a consumerdevice, video game console, handheld video game device, applicationserver, storage device, a television, a video recording device, aperipheral device such as a switch, modem, router, or in general anytype of computing or electronic device.

Various embodiments of a vehicle navigation system (VNS), aremotely-controlled vehicle navigation system, a remote navigationcontrol system, etc. as described herein, may be executed in one or morecomputer systems 900, which may interact with various other devices.Note that any component, action, or functionality described above withrespect to FIG. 1 through 8 may be implemented on one or more computersconfigured as computer system 900 of FIG. 9 , according to variousembodiments. In the illustrated embodiment, computer system 900 includesone or more processors 910 coupled to a system memory 920 via aninput/output (I/O) interface 930. Computer system 900 further includes anetwork interface 940 coupled to I/O interface 930, and one or moreinput/output devices, which can include one or more user interfacedevices. In some cases, it is contemplated that embodiments may beimplemented using a single instance of computer system 900, while inother embodiments multiple such systems, or multiple nodes making upcomputer system 900, may be configured to host different portions orinstances of embodiments. For example, in one embodiment some elementsmay be implemented via one or more nodes of computer system 900 that aredistinct from those nodes implementing other elements.

In various embodiments, computer system 900 may be a uniprocessor systemincluding one processor 910, or a multiprocessor system includingseveral processors 910 (e.g., two, four, eight, or another suitablenumber). Processors 910 may be any suitable processor capable ofexecuting instructions. For example, in various embodiments processors910 may be general-purpose or embedded processors implementing any of avariety of instruction set architectures (ISAs), such as the x86,PowerPC, SPARC, or MIPS ISAs, or any other suitable ISA. Inmultiprocessor systems, each of processors 910 may commonly, but notnecessarily, implement the same ISA.

System memory 920 may be configured to store program instructions, data,etc. accessible by processor 910. In various embodiments, system memory920 may be implemented using any suitable memory technology, such asstatic random access memory (SRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM),nonvolatile/Flash-type memory, or any other type of memory. In theillustrated embodiment, program instructions included in memory 920 maybe configured to implement some or all of an automotive climate controlsystem incorporating any of the functionality described above.Additionally, existing automotive component control data of memory 920may include any of the information or data structures described above.In some embodiments, program instructions and/or data may be received,sent or stored upon different types of computer-accessible media or onsimilar media separate from system memory 920 or computer system 900.While computer system 900 is described as implementing the functionalityof functional blocks of previous Figures, any of the functionalitydescribed herein may be implemented via such a computer system.

In one embodiment, I/O interface 930 may be configured to coordinate I/Otraffic between processor 910, system memory 920, and any peripheraldevices in the device, including network interface 940 or otherperipheral interfaces, such as input/output devices 950. In someembodiments, I/O interface 930 may perform any necessary protocol,timing or other data transformations to convert data signals from onecomponent (e.g., system memory 920) into a format suitable for use byanother component (e.g., processor 910). In some embodiments, I/Ointerface 930 may include support for devices attached through varioustypes of peripheral buses, such as a variant of the Peripheral ComponentInterconnect (PCI) bus standard or the Universal Serial Bus (USB)standard, for example. In some embodiments, the function of I/Ointerface 930 may be split into two or more separate components, such asa north bridge and a south bridge, for example. Also, in someembodiments some or all of the functionality of I/O interface 930, suchas an interface to system memory 920, may be incorporated directly intoprocessor 910.

Network interface 940 may be configured to allow data to be exchangedbetween computer system 900 and other devices attached to a network 985(e.g., carrier or agent devices) or between nodes of computer system900. Network 985 may in various embodiments include one or more networksincluding but not limited to Local Area Networks (LANs) (e.g., anEthernet or corporate network), Wide Area Networks (WANs) (e.g., theInternet), wireless data networks, some other electronic data network,or some combination thereof. In various embodiments, network interface940 may support communication via wired or wireless general datanetworks, such as any suitable type of Ethernet network, for example;via telecommunications/telephony networks such as analog voice networksor digital fiber communications networks; via storage area networks suchas Fibre Channel SANs, or via any other suitable type of network and/orprotocol.

Input/output devices may, in some embodiments, include one or moredisplay terminals, keyboards, keypads, touchpads, scanning devices,voice or optical recognition devices, or any other devices suitable forentering or accessing data by one or more computer systems 900. Multipleinput/output devices may be present in computer system 900 or may bedistributed on various nodes of computer system 900. In someembodiments, similar input/output devices may be separate from computersystem 900 and may interact with one or more nodes of computer system900 through a wired or wireless connection, such as over networkinterface 940.

Memory 920 may include program instructions, which may beprocessor-executable to implement any element or action described above.In one embodiment, the program instructions may implement the methodsdescribed above. In other embodiments, different elements and data maybe included. Note that data may include any data or informationdescribed above.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that computer system 900 ismerely illustrative and is not intended to limit the scope ofembodiments. In particular, the computer system and devices may includeany combination of hardware or software that can perform the indicatedfunctions, including computers, network devices, Internet appliances,PDAs, wireless phones, pagers, etc. Computer system 900 may also beconnected to other devices that are not illustrated, or instead mayoperate as a stand-alone system. In addition, the functionality providedby the illustrated components may in some embodiments be combined infewer components or distributed in additional components. Similarly, insome embodiments, the functionality of some of the illustratedcomponents may not be provided and/or other additional functionality maybe available.

Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that, while various itemsare illustrated as being stored in memory or on storage while beingused, these items or portions of them may be transferred between memoryand other storage devices for purposes of memory management and dataintegrity. Alternatively, in other embodiments some or all of thesoftware components may execute in memory on another device andcommunicate with the illustrated computer system via inter-computercommunication. Some or all of the system components or data structuresmay also be stored (e.g., as instructions or structured data) on acomputer-accessible medium or a portable article to be read by anappropriate drive, various examples of which are described above. Insome embodiments, instructions stored on a computer-accessible mediumseparate from computer system 900 may be transmitted to computer system900 via transmission media or signals such as electrical,electromagnetic, or digital signals, conveyed via a communication mediumsuch as a network and/or a wireless link. Various embodiments mayfurther include receiving, sending or storing instructions and/or dataimplemented in accordance with the foregoing description upon acomputer-accessible medium. Generally speaking, a computer-accessiblemedium may include a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium ormemory medium such as magnetic or optical media, e.g., disk orDVD/CD-ROM, volatile or non-volatile media such as RAM (e.g. SDRAM, DDR,RDRAM, SRAM, etc.), ROM, etc. In some embodiments, a computer-accessiblemedium may include transmission media or signals such as electrical,electromagnetic, or digital signals, conveyed via a communication mediumsuch as network and/or a wireless link.

The methods described herein may be implemented in software, hardware,or a combination thereof, in different embodiments. In addition, theorder of the blocks of the methods may be changed, and various elementsmay be added, reordered, combined, omitted, modified, etc. Variousmodifications and changes may be made as would be obvious to a personskilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. The variousembodiments described herein are meant to be illustrative and notlimiting. Many variations, modifications, additions, and improvementsare possible. Accordingly, plural instances may be provided forcomponents described herein as a single instance. Boundaries betweenvarious components, operations and data stores are somewhat arbitrary,and particular operations are illustrated in the context of specificillustrative configurations. Other allocations of functionality areenvisioned and may fall within the scope of claims that follow. Finally,structures and functionality presented as discrete components in theexample configurations may be implemented as a combined structure orcomponent. These and other variations, modifications, additions, andimprovements may fall within the scope of embodiments as defined in theclaims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus, comprising: a vehicle navigationsystem configured to be installed in a vehicle and control one or moresets of vehicle control elements installed in the vehicle to cause thevehicle to be navigated through an environment in which the vehicle islocated based on remote driving commands received from a remote controlsystem, wherein the vehicle navigation system is configured to: transmita remote control request signal, to the remote control system, based atleast in part upon a determination that an occupant of an interior ofthe vehicle is associated with a health state which meets at least onethreshold.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vehicle navigationsystem is configured to: authorize remote driving control of thevehicle, based at least in part upon receiving a remote controlauthorization request message received from the remote control system.3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein, to authorize remote drivingcontrol of the vehicle, the vehicle navigation system is configured to:identify an instance of identity data included in the remote controlauthorization request message; and determine that the instance ofidentity data matches a locally stored instance of identity data.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 3, wherein: the instance of identity data comprisesan instance of identity data associated with a particular end user; andthe locally stored instance of identity data comprises an instance ofidentity data associated with an authorized end user who is authorizedto request remote driving control of the vehicle.
 5. The apparatus ofclaim 3, wherein, to authorize remote driving control of the vehicle,the vehicle navigation system is configured to: transmit anauthorization signal which specifies password information via which theremote control system can engage remote driving control of the vehicle;and execute one or more remote driving command signals received from theremote control system, based at least in part on a determination thatthe one or more remote driving command signals include the specifiedpassword information.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vehiclenavigation system is configured to: transmit a remote control requestsignal, to the remote control system, based at least in part upon userinteraction with one or more user interfaces installed in the vehicle.7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vehicle navigation system isconfigured to: authorize remote driving control of the vehicleconcurrently with generating the remote control request signal, based atleast in part upon the based at least in part upon user interaction withone or more user interfaces installed in the vehicle.
 8. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein the vehicle navigation system is configured to:selectively engage one or more sets of remote control devices based onone or more devices commands received from the remote control system,wherein the one or more sets of remote control devices are configured toprovide externally-observable indications that the vehicle is beingnavigated via remote driving control.
 9. An apparatus, comprising: aremote control system, remotely located from a vehicle, which isconfigured to selectively engage in remote driving control of thevehicle, wherein the remote control system is configured to: generate aset of remote driving commands which, when executed at a vehiclenavigation system of the vehicle, cause the vehicle to be navigatedthrough an environment, based at least in part upon a determination thatremote driving control of the vehicle is authorized by an authorizedentity associated with the vehicle.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9,wherein: the remote control system is configured to determine thatremote driving control of the vehicle is authorized by the authorizedentity based on receiving an authorization message from the authorizedentity, wherein: the authorization message includes at least onepassword; the set of remote driving commands include the at least onepassword; and the set of remote driving commands are configured to beexecuted at the vehicle navigation system of the vehicle based at leastin part upon a determination, at the vehicle, that the set of remotedriving commands are associated with the at least one password.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 10, wherein the remote control system is configuredto, prior to receiving the authorization message: receive, from arequesting entity, a remote control request message which includes arequest to engage remote driving control of the vehicle and an instanceof identity data; and in response to receiving the remote controlrequest message, generate an authorization request message which iscommunicated to the authorized entity and which includes a request forauthorization of remote driving control of the vehicle and the instanceof identity data.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein: the requestingentity comprises an end user device supporting a particular end user;and the authorized entity comprises the vehicle navigation system. 13.The apparatus of claim 11, wherein: the authorized entity comprises auser device supporting a particular end user; and the requesting entitycomprises the vehicle navigation system.
 14. The apparatus of claim 9,wherein the remote control system is configured to: in response togenerating the set of remote driving commands, generating a set ofremote control device commands which, when executed at the vehiclenavigation system of the vehicle, cause a set of remote control devicesinstalled in the vehicle to be engaged; wherein the set of remotecontrol devices are restricted from being controlled by the vehiclenavigation system absent remote control device commands generated by theremote control system.
 15. A method comprising: performing, by at leastone computer system: generating a set of remote driving commands which,when executed at a vehicle navigation system of the vehicle, cause thevehicle to be navigated through an environment, based at least in partupon a determination that remote driving control of the vehicle isauthorized by one or more of the vehicle or an authorized end usersupported by a separate user device.
 16. The method of claim 15,comprising: determining that remote driving control of the vehicle isauthorized by the authorized entity based on receiving an authorizationmessage from the authorized entity, wherein: the authorization messageincludes at least one password; the set of remote driving commandsinclude the at least one password; and the set of remote drivingcommands are configured to be executed at the vehicle navigation systemof the vehicle based at least in part upon a determination, at thevehicle, that the set of remote driving commands are associated with theat least one password.
 17. The method of claim 16, comprising: prior toreceiving the authorization message: receiving, from a requestingentity, a remote control request message which includes a request toengage remote driving control of the vehicle, an identification of theauthorized entity, and an instance of identity data associated with therequesting entity; and in response to receiving the remote controlrequest message, generating an authorization request message which iscommunicated to the authorized entity and which includes a request forauthorization of remote driving control of the vehicle and the instanceof identity data associated with the requesting entity.
 18. The methodof claim 17, wherein: the requesting entity comprises an end user devicesupporting a particular end user; and the authorized entity comprisesthe vehicle navigation system.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein: theauthorized entity comprises a user device supporting a particular enduser; and the requesting entity comprises the vehicle navigation system.20. The method of claim 15, comprising: in response to generating theset of remote driving commands, generating a set of remote controldevice commands which, when executed at the vehicle navigation system ofthe vehicle, cause a set of remote control devices installed in thevehicle to be engaged; wherein the set of remote control devices arerestricted from being controlled by the vehicle navigation system absentremote control device commands generated by the remote control system.